A surge is a transient disturbance that causes an instantaneous voltage on the power supply net to exceed the rated normal voltage range under certain conditions. Usually, this transient disturbance does not last for long, but it may be of a high magnitude. It may be a sudden high in just one millionth of a second, such as lightning, or the moment when an inductive load is disconnected, or a large load is connected, which will have a great impact on the power supply. In most cases, if the equipment or circuit connected to the power supply has no surge protection measures, it is easy to damage the device, and the degree of damage will be related to the withstand voltage level of the device.
Surge in power supply circuit
Surge not only exists in the environment of the power supply, but is also ubiquitous in ordinary inductive circuits. The following figure can well explain why inductive circuits are prone to surge voltages.
Under normal working conditions, the voltage at the test point is maintained at a stable state of 500V, but if the switch Q is suddenly disconnected, since the inductor current cannot be abruptly changed and the back electromotive force effect occurs, a high voltage surge will be generated at the test point.
Surges can occur for many reasons, such as large equipment, short circuits, power switching, or large motors that can cause surges in a circuit. To sum up, the reasons for the surge in the power supply system are divided into two types: external and internal. The external cause is mainly lightning, which causes surge and overvoltage, and the internal cause is mainly the start-stop and failure of electrical equipment.